Maia Magrakvelidze, doctoral student in physics, has been selected for the 2013 K-State Physics Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher Award from the physics department.

She is researching the dissociation dynamics of diatomic molecules in intense laser fields. Her doctoral adviser is Uwe Thumm, professor of physics.

She received her bachelor's degree and master's degree in condensed matter physics from Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University in Tbilisi, Georgia. She also received a master's degree in atomic and molecular physics from Kansas State University in 2009.